Reef Safe Inverts

[hubbard_shark]

I have a 37 gl currently with 2 clowns, a feather duster worm, a damsel(which due to many responses is goin to be removed from my tank) and a smally cluster of star polyps. i plan on buying more polyps/soft corals in the future,

wat inverts r best for a reef tank?

im interested in hermits and cleaner shrimp r these guyz cool with corals?

 

[SkiFletch]

They can be ok, but they can also be destructive. I would NOT put a coral banded shrimp in that tank at all as they are being found more and more to be coral nippers. Skunk cleaners might also get too big for that tank in the long run. If you really want a cool shrimp, look for blood shrimp (aka fire shrimp). They're blood red and stay very small. If you want hermits, I'd say go for red legs instead of blue legs. My bluelegs hust bulldoze over any of my corals that get in their way, and while they dont seem too frustrated with the hermits, I dont like seeing my corals put through that stress.

Smaller snails are also great chocies for a tank like that (you need your glass cleaned too ). I'm a big fan of Cerith, Nerite, and Nassarius snails as they are very small and basically together cover the gamut of tank cleaners (glass, detritus, carrion, sand sifting, and algae). I'm not a fan of Astrea snails cause they fall over and die (cant right themselves well), nor am I a fan of turbos since they dont like high heat and can sometimes bulldoze aquascaping.

 

[hubbard_shark]

sweet sounds like i got my invert list for my tank all set up. thx again

 

[Donya]

One comment about Nerites: be careful what size and what species hermits you mix them with. Some hermit species (e.g. zebra hermits, Calcinus species) really like the Nerite shell shape and so will kill the snails for a new home.

Turbos are great if you don't mind them knocking stuff over like SkiFletch said lol not good for unstable rock piles. Turbo fluctuosa (Mexican turbo?) will also eat your macro algae...mine has even eaten my Chaeto and Caulerpa species.

I'm not a fan of Astrea snails cause they fall over and die

My Astreas also got out-competed by my Nerites. I'm not an Astrea fan either...but Trochus are da bomb

 

[ostrow]

Careful on what species of nerite too as some will crawl out of the tank and along your living room floor before they die not finding their way back. Get the ones that don't live on the waterline. Good vendors will clarify which ones they sell.

Aim for the tongan (sometimes called jumbo) nassarius, and avoid the ilyanassa obsoletta sometimes called nassarius == mistakenly. Avoid bumblebees. The tongan nass are great ... bigger, meaning better sandsifters, and much, much longer-lived. One per 5 gallons no more.

Ceriths will breed in a tank with good conditions, so you can either get one per 2 gallons or one per 5 and let them reproduce.

Ceriths and nass are a must.

Avoid Astraeas and Turbos and get true Trochus sp. They, unlike the others, will live. One per 10gal is a good rule.

Get a couple fighting conch for the sandbed. And, if you can find them, stomatellas.

If you get hermits, go with scarlet reef hermits and avoid redleg and blueleg as they are predators of snails.

Since you are in the US, I highly recommend Premium Aquatics as a vendor for these. You can go reeftopia if you have a few others to join you in a lot order. But you wont' find Trochus there...

If the tank is new or you have never done it, a Mix 'n' Match from the best, Inland Pacific www.ipsf.com, is a really good idea.

 

[Donya]

Careful on what species of nerite too as some will crawl out of the tank and along your living room floor before they die not finding their way back.

YES I completely forgot to mention that. The ones that are tidal species tend to be the offenders for that. Neritina virginea is sometimes sold (which is interesting to me because people also claim it as a "true freshwater" species...so much for that lol), and that one needs a tight lid and space above the waterline to keep happy.


One comment about the conches: if they get big they can lift up unstable rocks. Not as bad as Turbos but still can be a hazard with unstable rock setups.

 

[ostrow]

Queen conchs can do that.

fighting conch don't get that big.

 

[hubbard_shark]

arent scarlet hermits the same as red legged hermits?

 

[Donya]

The common names are sketchy but at my LFS they are two different species.

 

[ostrow]

Nothing sketchy! Scarlets and redlegs are quite different.

Paguristes cadenati (scarlet reef) are great algae and detritus controllers and peaceful to tankmates:
http/www.etropicals.com/product/prod_Dis...=45&pCatId=1347

Redleg/Clibanarius sp. and Blueleg/Clibanarius sp. are aggressive, will kill snails for shells:
http/www.fishlore.com/Profiles-HermitCrab.htm

 

[Donya]

The LFSs in my area call anything that's solid red "scarlet" and anything that's not solid red "red leg", so that's why I say the names are sketchy there may be a correct usage, but it's not obeyed all the time if that's the case. My red legs are Clibanarius ransoni, which is different in appearance and disposition from the pictured type in the 2nd link.

 

[ostrow]

Clibanarius ransoni IME are less aggressive than bluelegs but barely so. If you feed your tank conservatively, small snails will be at risk with them in there.

 

[Adrinal]

I prefer to not mix snails and crabs. The only time I do is in a nano tank. I feel it is worth risking a few snails then, because I am close enough to observe and enjoy them.

Astria/cerith are the stapple snails of choice.

IME